Shameless Plug is a series where we turn things over to creatives. In exchange for plugging their project, they have to spill their guilty pleasure, biggest inspiration, personal motto and a few other secrets. Today, Cassandra Woodhouse tells us about going deep, massage therapists, and authenticity
Cassandra Woodhouse is an actress living in Tāmaki Makaurau. She has been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years – on stages, screens, and behind cameras. Cassandra is a strong advocate for mental health and wellbeing, and in recent years has focused on one-woman theatre shows during which she shares intimate, heartfelt experiences and holds space for audience members. Her current project, Prima Facie, is a prime example of this – alone on the stage, Cassandra plays Tessa, a lawyer who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault. When she is sexually assaulted herself, she comes to understand the justice system on an extremely personal level. Cassandra has been performing the play around Aotearoa for almost three years, and says the impact it has on audiences is “something I am forever changed by”. For Woodhouse, acting is a vessel for activism and connection.
Here is Cassandra Woodhouse’s Shameless Plug:
My personal motto is go deep or go home! My husband always jokes that people open their hearts to me straight away and I find it such an honour to be able to hold space for people’s hearts – it served me well with Prima Facie as hundreds have shared their experiences of sexual harm with me. The impact of holding space and allowing people to release that through sharing has only reinforced my love of storytelling and the profound healing impact it has on our lives, whether we're on a stage or sitting one-on-one with someone.
My closest collaborators are Michael Hurst and Jennifer Ward-Lealand.I can't thank them enough for the support, guidance and mentorship they have blessed me with. They are legends for a reason. And Diana Castle at the Imagined Life studio in Los Angeles. I started Zoom classes with her in Lockdown and they have transformed my life and craft. Diana’s passionate mentorship is fueled by her mission to awaken empathy in our world by mirroring back diverse stories in every actor she works with. She is a mystic and has helped me discover my own mission in the stories I choose to produce and perform – those being of great social impact.
The most fun I’ve ever had on a project was filming the Keep It Real campaign playing a pornstar opposite the hilarious Justine Smith. The way she can floor you into laughter with just a look is… lets just say she got us through a very awkward but deeply impactful day on the job. That campaign really planted the seed in me to see how impactful and ancient art is as a form of activism – whether through comedy or drama. Both hold a mirror up to the human condition and allow us to see ourselves.
My pleasure is falling into the healing hands of massage therapists – normally the Chinese angels at Golden Sail, St Lukes or a local Thai massage in whatever town I’m touring in. I’ve removed the guilt from my guilty pleasure, because as an actor our bodies and souls are the vessel through which our work is delivered. I've discovered deeply how our body keeps the score and what we do as artists takes a toll on the nervous system and the body, so the healing hands of these angels helps sustain me.
My hottest career hack is don't wait for the phone to ring. Make your art. Be your biggest champion and honour the work you do for the gift that it is and how needed it is in the world. When the world shut down, it turned to artists. Remember that. Be the voice, tell the stories that the world tries to silence. A quote I love and has proved to be true time and time again is: “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative, and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, providence moves too.” It was written by William Hutchinson Murray in his book, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition from 1951.
The best advice I’ve received was “we can do hard things”. Jennifer Ward-Lealand said it, and she is right. We can.
The moment I knew I wanted to be an artist was when I realised how art can speak to the parts of us and move us in ways nothing else can. Seeing how it unites people and makes us feel less alone. What an honour to have that effect on the human heart.
My biggest inspiration is my daughter. My younger self. Holding the hands of both as I journey through this life as both a woman and artist.
My favourite arts spaces are community theatres. I’ve been so fortunate to have toured NZ and have discovered and performed in such beautiful theatres all across the country. I'm so inspired that even in the smallest towns there is always a performance space – so many are so regal and grand – and most are run by the most incredible people working tirelessly to keep arts alive in their communities. That passion and the history held in those theatres inspires me greatly and I love allowing myself to sense all the performers and patrons who would have come before me, and the ones that will come after.
The best place in my city is my home! I live in a heritage building in the heart of the city and love it. I love its old worldly charm. I do so much work from there and have created it into a sanctuary that gives me solace and keeps me healthy with the beautiful wellness rituals that I have created that serve me so well. Most importantly it's where the hearts of my loved ones are so wherever they are is the best place.
The best thing about being in the arts is that I get to live an authentic life. Being an artist is such an ancient, needed, and timeless part of society and we must honour that by supporting the arts and our artists to live sustainable lives whilst being able to create.
My hot take on acting is to always remember the heart of what it is we do. To hold a mirror up to the human condition – for us to see ourselves, evolve, feel less alone and the interconnectedness of what is to share in the universal truths being human.
An artwork everyone should experience at least once in their life is Prima Facie. Not even because this is a Shameless Plug. I traveled to New York and paid $1,000 for a ticket to see it live there, just to experience the energy in the room. It's a profound piece of theatre that reminds us of the impact that storytelling has. To be in a theatre, experiencing this story and feeling the energy of those around you having their own catharsis is something I forever hope I find in every piece of art I am a part of and that I hope everyone gets to experience.
My shameless plug is my upcoming tour of Prima Facie. I’ll be kicking it off with a special one night only performance at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre on 27 February, before I take it to more centres around the North and South Islands in March.
